| APPEALS OF FEDERAL CRIMNAL PROSECUTIONS |
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| After several federal courts ruled that state bingo laws were regulatory laws that could not be enforced against Native American tribes, Congress began looking at legislation that would satisfy the interests of law enforcement agencies and that would help to alleviate the economic problems of the Native American tribes by raising revenue through bingo and gaming. As a result, Congress enacted the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) of 1988.
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| Attacking Eyewitness Identification |
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| A defendant may attack eyewitness testimony during trial. There are numerous issues and problems that arise when dealing with eyewitness identification testimony. One of the largest issues involves the reliability of the eyewitness. The defendant may attack the eyewitness identification testimony by cross-examination, by way of a jury instruction, or by way of closing argument to the jury. More... |
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| Battered Person Syndrome and Battered Child Syndrome |
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| Battered person syndrome is a derivative of battered woman syndrome. Battered person syndrome involves battery of a male spouse or someone that resides in the household. Battered person syndrome may be used as a justification defense in a homicide prosecution. Typically, the defendant would assert self-defense as a defense and then justify the premise of the self-defense based upon the battered person syndrome. The premise behind battered person syndrome is that this syndrome is gender neutral. More... |
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| FEDERAL LAWS REGARDING CARJACKING |
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| Although offenses involving motor vehicles thefts are usually prosecuted by state and local law enforcement authorities, the increased number of such offenses and the increased use of violence in connection with the offenses caused Congress to enact a federal carjacking statute. Congress also directed the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorneys' offices to cooperate with state and local authorities in the investigation of such offenses and to prosecute some offenses in federal court. More... |
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| Hybrid Representation and the Standby Attorney |
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| Hybrid representation is where the defendant serves as co-counsel with an attorney. The defendant does not have a constitutional right to hybrid representation. It is within the trial court's discretion to grant the defendant's request for hybrid representation. More... |
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